R.I.P. Arthur Lee

Legendary Love frontman Arthur Lee lost his battle with Leukemia last night (August 3). He was 61. He was pretty much batshit crazy for most of the '80s and '90s but there's no denying his amazing catalog with perhaps the ultimate '60s psych-pop group. It seems especially sad as anyone who saw the Forever Changes concerts from 2002 knew the man still had it.

Read the AP obit here.

Vintage Love from YouTube:

• "My Little Red Book"

• "A Message to Pretty" (on American Bandstand!)

• "Your Mind and We Belong Together"

I figure there will be plenty of Love mp3s posted on blogs today, so I'm offering a couple worthy tributes/homages from other bands:

MP3: Hopkirk and Lee - "Free Arthur Lee"

MP3: Belle & Sebastian - "I'm Waking Up to Us"

I have distinct memories of the Pernice Brothers doing "Alone Again Or" at Bowery Ballroom in 2001. I wonder how many bands performing around the country tonight will be covering  Love songs?

Comments

[Toby]

Poor Arthur, but really whatever happened to Hopkirk & Lee? One great 7" with 4 songs and then nothing...disappeared!

[d]

oh no. I'd heard so many stories about lee's trigger happy wackjob behavior that I went in to their show at the town hall not expecting much & was pleasantly wowed. sad news indeed.